Archive for January, 2009

Upgrading Kubuntu 8.10 to KDE 4.2

7 Comments
Posted 27 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category General

Here is the guide to upgrade your Kubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex installation to KDE 4.2.

To update to KDE 4.2, please follow these instructions:

  1. Remove the koffice-data-kde4 package if you have it installed. The current koffice2 packages in the kubuntu-members-kde4 PPA are incompatible with the KDE 4.2 packages since they try to install icons to the same locations.
  2. Follow the Kubuntu Repository Guide to enable Recommended Updates and add the following to your ‘Third-Party Software’ tab:
    deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/kubuntu-experimental/ubuntu intrepid main
  3. You can add the package signing key with this command: (gpg (dash-dash)keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com (dash-dash)recv-keys 493B3065 && gpg (dash-dash)export -a 493B3065 | sudo apt-key add -)
    gpg –keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com –recv-keys 493B3065 && gpg –export -a 493B3065 | sudo apt-key add -
  4. Old Plasma packages are not compatible with KDE 4.2, you should uninstall any plasmoids.
  5. You can now update any existing KDE 4 installation to the most recent version using the Adept Updater tool in your system tray.
  6. Now log out and press Alt + E to restart X. When you log in you will have KDE 4.2 Release Candidate 1. Enjoy.

KDE 4.2 uses Akonadi which will install MySQL. The MySQL packages in intrepid will ask for a password, you can set this to anything you like.

Source: Kubuntu.

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KDE 4.2 released

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Posted 27 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category Linux

KDE team has released KDE 4.2. There are lots of improvements and bug fixes in KDE 4.2. I have been using KDE 4.2 from beta and it’s much more stable and usable than KDE 4.0 and KDE 3.x series. Here are some of the improvements KDE 4.2 brings:

  • Further refinement of the Plasma desktop interface makes organizing your workspace easier. New and improved applets include a Quicklauncher, weather information, newsfeeds, comics, quick file sharing via “pastebin” services.
  • The Plasma Panel now groups tasks and display multiple rows.
  • The panel can now automatically hide in order to free up screen space.
  • KWin employs motion physics to give a natural feel to old and new effects like the “Cube” and “Magic Lamp”.
  • File management becomes faster and more efficient.
  • KMail’s email list views have been reworked by a Google Summer of Code student. I was using KMail for some time. It has lots of features, but it’s not quite as simple and straightforward to use as Thunderbird.
  • The Konqueror web browser improves support for scalable vector graphics and receives many performance enhancements.
  • Enhanced Scripting Support. Plasma widgets can now be written in JavaScript, Python and Ruby.

See the Visual Guide To KDE 4.2 for the details on the innovations in 4.2. If you are a KDE user or you were a KDE user and moved to GNOME after KDE 4.0, I would advise you to try KDE 4.2. It’s much more pleasing, usable and stable than previous versions.

kde 4.2

Source: KDE

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Office closed :)

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Posted 27 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category General

Our office is closed today due to sleet and freezing rain, mixed with snow from yesterday night. The forecast says it would continue until tomorrow morning. I hope they close tomorrow too. ;)

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Yet another proof that Microsoft is dumb and kills competition

2 Comments
Posted 26 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category News, Technology

As soon as White House announced that Obama will keep his Blackberry, Microsoft has questioned the wisdom of the president relying on a device whose maker is based in Canada.

“You would be sending your data outside the country,” says Randy Siegel, a Microsoft enterprise mobile strategist who works on federal government projects. “We wouldn’t want the casual musings or official communications of the most important person in the world being intercepted by others.” What a dumb *** he is.

Microsoft instead wants him to use Windows CE based mobile phones. Is there any other better way to expose secret communications than using Windows mobiles?

News Source: The Wall Street Journal.

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Verizon launches Linux VOIP Phone, but it’s not open.

1 Comment
Posted 23 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category Technology

Verizon Wireless launched a VOIP-based, Linux-powered home phone on Friday, the Verizon Hub. The Hub is based on OpenPeak’s OpenFrame design. OpenFrame is based on an “open” platform, but it’s not open by any normal person’s interpretation of the word. While the device’s custom OS is based on a hacked Linux kernel, all of the software above the kernel is closed and proprietary. OpenPeak will offer a full API for developing third-party apps, but only to carriers, not to consumers.

Hub – is an 8-inch, 800×480 touchscreen device which sits on a table or kitchen counter. It has a single DECT 6.0 cordless phone that snaps into the base.

The Hub’s home screen shows floating, Web-based widgets such as a calendar and the weather, along with details about missed calls and visual voice mail.

By touching buttons on the OpenFrame’s panel, you can sync it with the various contact lists and calendars in your life, view TV schedules, send an IM or SMS, check the weather, surf the Web, watch streaming video, play music or do a range of other things. The devices are based on Freescale MX31 processors, with two 600-MHz ARM11 chips doing the heavy lifting.

Source: Yahoo News.

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Wife murdered for Facebook status

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Posted 23 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category News

People are going insane. A man murdered his estranged wife after becoming “enraged” when she changed her marital status on Facebook to “single”. Is life so cheap?

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Order Domino’s on Tivo

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Posted 21 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category News

Tivo now adds pizza to it’s growing list of features. You can now order Pizza from Domino’s through Tivo. All you have to do is go to Tivo Central -> Music, Photos & Showcases -> Order Domino’s Pizza now. Once you place the order, you can track the order through Tivo. What’s next Tivo?

Tivo Dominos

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Another proof that Microsoft is dumb?

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Posted 16 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category News

Read this story – Microsoft Uses Mac In PC-Only App Advertisement

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Ubuntu fans bringing bad name to Ubuntu?

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Posted 16 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category News, Ubuntu

You might have read the news yesterday about a woman who struggled with her new Dell laptop. Lots of Ubuntu fans responded back to WKOW TV and some of them used harsh words and bad language. Some Ubuntu fans sent hateful message to that lady’s Facebook account. I don’t think such news will get any respect to Ubuntu or it’s fans. However dumb that lady was, this is not the way to respond. If you want to criticize, criticize in a constructive way and put down valid arguments rather than just calling words. I was little upset when I read the news today.

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NASA: Gas may be new evidence of life on Mars

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Posted 16 Jan 2009 — by Arun
Category News

NASA scientists have discovered that Mars actually is burping gas — methane to be exact — which could be one more sign that there’s life on Mars. The first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars indicates the planet is still alive, in either a biologic or geologic sense, according to a team of NASA and university scientists.

“Methane is quickly destroyed in the Martian atmosphere in a variety of ways, so our discovery of substantial plumes of methane in the northern hemisphere of Mars in 2003 indicates some ongoing process is releasing the gas,” said Dr. Michael Mumma of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “At northern mid-summer, methane is released at a rate comparable to that of the massive hydrocarbon seep at Coal Oil Point in Santa Barbara, Calif.”

Methane — four atoms of hydrogen bound to a carbon atom — is the main component of natural gas on Earth. It’s of interest to astrobiologists because organisms release much of Earth’s methane as they digest nutrients. However, other purely geological processes, like oxidation of iron, also release methane. NASA doesn’t have enough information to say if it’s biologically related or geologically related.

It’s getting quite interesting as we dig further.

Source: NASA.

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